This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Ten games await Friday's main slate at FanDuel. Seven arms come in at a pay-up tier of $9,000 or greater with four priced in the five figures, two of which square off against each other in the Twins-Blue Jays matchup. Blake Snell ($11,200) leads that group in an incredibly soft matchup with Miami and is the clear choice if money is no object.
Coors Field is present, giving us our typically high 11.5 run total. But we're slightly elevated across the slate with only two games having a run total below 8.0. Unsurprisingly, the Marlins have the slate's lowest expected total against Snell at a mere 2.2 runs.
We're looking dry across the slate. Inbound winds are expected in New York, but they look to be blowing out in San Fransisco, Anaheim, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland and Minneapolis. Not significantly, but it should be a favorable spot for all offenses.
Pitching
George Kirby, SEA at LAA ($9,400): Kirby's form is poor, earning just one quality start in his last five, allowing 16 runs and 39 hits across his last 24.2 innings. Maybe that scares some off in what is the obvious best matchup to target from the slate's top-tier of pitching. The Angels have just a .293 wOBA and 87 wRC+ off righties, striking out 23.8 percent of the time. Kirby threw six innings of one-run ball against them in mid-July, earning 40 fantasy points. This current Angels team is hitting .226 with a .519 OPS off him. For tournaments, anyone above him will likely be used less, but for cash lineups, I'd assume Kirby is where most go.
Ben Lively, CLE vs. PIT ($8,100): Lively is off consecutive quality starts and has four in his last six, showing a 31-point fantasy floor in those successful outings. The risk is he earned only 14 combined in the two poor outings, so this is a clear ceiling vs. floor play. The thought is it's mitigated by Pittsburgh's offense, which has just a .292 wOBA and 84 wRC+ off righties, striking out at a 24.1 percent clip. Homers have plagued Lively (1.5/9), but he's a ground ball guy at 41.1 percent, which seems to play into a Pittsburgh offense that hits them on the ground at a 45.8 percent mark.
Marcus Stroman, NYY vs. STL ($7,600): I expect the easy/lazy paydown to be Tylor Megill against the White Sox, and we all know why. But Stroman is in reasonable form, averaging 28.3 fantasy points across his last three, and can give us a slight edge for just $100 more while likely being lower rostered. He's always been a ground ball guy, with his 48.3 percent mark this year being the lowest of his career. St Louis will oblige 41.9 percent of the time, while striking out 22.2 percent of the time off righties. Inbound winds should help keep occasional flies in the yard. We're not expecting perfection from Stroman, just minimal damage against a middling offense.
Top Targets
We know this starts with Oriole bats in Coors Field. But Rockies starter Austin Gomber hasn't been awful, owning a 4.42 home ERA (4.70 xFIP), and doesn't have immensely targetable splits for either-handed hitters. If we back Baltimore's season-long body of work, Adley Rutschman ($3,600) stands out with a .399 wOBA, 165 wRC+ and .195 ISO off lefties.
I'm not sure what more Francisco Lindor ($3,800) needs to do to be priced up, but since he's not, I'll keep targeting him. He's riding a nine-game hitting streak with 14 total hits, including four homers. The Mets are likely to be a popular and affordable stack Friday, so I will back their anchor and try to differentiate elsewhere.
I have interest in both sides of the Athletics-Rangers game, but Oakland (curiously) has just a 3.7 expected run total despite Jon Gray having allowed eight runs and nine hits in his last 4.0 innings. Brent Rooker ($3,400) is priced somewhat favorably for his potential. He has a team-best .386 wOBA, 157 wRC+ and .252 ISO off righties. He has six hits, two homers, five runs and four walks in his last six games.
Finally, Jose Ramirez ($4,100) is a near-automatic play when facing a lefty, sporting a .442 wOBA, 194 wRC+ and .340 ISO, and is priced fairly.
Bargain Bats
None of the Orioles' top options are in terrific form, so perhaps there's value in Ramon Urias ($3,200). He has an above-average 115 wRC+ off lefties, comes with three position flexibility, and six hits in as many games, homering twice and driving in eight runs. Eloy Jimenez ($3,100) merits a look, too.
The price point is higher than I'd like for his boom-or-bust nature, but Jhonkensy Noel ($3,100) rakes against lefties with a .478 wOBA, 219 wRC+ and .548 ISO. His likely lineup position keeps a Guardians stack with Ramirez and a third piece out of play, unfortunately.
Lawrence Butler ($2,900) is on another binge, homering in three straight, five times total, and brings massive potential for the price.
Don't overlook the Mariners, who are cheap throughout their lineup. The Angels don't have a listed starter, but it looks like Samuel Aldegheri will make his Major League debut. He was elite at Double-A, but this is a big jump. Randy Arozarena ($3,000) is surging, while J.P. Crawford ($2,800) has positive LvL splits.
Diamondbacks versus lefties is a popular season-long trend, but their top targets are injured. Corbin Carroll ($3,400) has BvP success against Clayton Kershaw, but the price point isn't ideal. If you're a BvP guy and need a punt-type play, consider Randal Grichuk ($2,300), who has hit second in the lineup lately, and is 7-for-25 (.280) with two homers off the Dodgers starter.
Stack to Consider
Rockies vs. Albert Suarez (Orioles): Brenton Doyle ($3,600), Ezequiel Tovar ($3,500), Ryan McMahon ($3,400)
Suarez has thrown well of late, allowing just two runs in his last four starts, spanning 23.1 innings, and his splits don't scream it's a targetable matchup. But being able to stack in Coors Field for a reasonable cost is always prudent. Doyle is a terrific standalone target, hitting safely in 13 of his last 14, seven for extra bases, scoring 13 times and walking seven. Tovar has hit in six straight, driving in seven runs. McMahon makes this a traditional 2-3-4 stack. While the form isn't elite, he does have six hits in as many games.
I have a lean on a Rangers stack, but this column has gotten a little lengthy, and is starting to feel like name-dropping. My apologies, but there are just a lot of matchups I find favorable for offenses Friday. I'm not a multi-entry kind of guy, but this slate feels like a spot to do just that, constructing multiple mini-stacks.
